STRAIGHT TALK: TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu leaving the Chief Minister's chambers in the Secretariat on Monday after expressing his displeasure at the State Committee meeting. - PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR

HYDERABAD: C.D. Arha, retired IAS officer who served the State in different capacities, has reportedly been nominated to head the recently-formed State Information Commission to implement the Right to Information Act.

His name for the post of Chief Information Commissioner was forwarded to the Governor after a meeting of the three-member committee, comprising Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Leader of the Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu and Finance Minister K. Rosaiah, here on Monday.

3 members named

Sources said that at the end of the exercise, the Government cleared names of senior Congress leader Kalwakuntla (Mandamarri) Sudhakar Rao, another Congress leader and advocate Ambati Subba Rao and R. Dileep Reddy, Eenadu bureau chief in New Delhi, as members.

Mr. Naidu, who had abstained from an earlier meeting, participated and endorsed Mr. Arha's name. He said he had cleared it in the interests of avoid a controversy when a senior IAS officer was involved. Mr Arha who hails from Rajasthan, belongs to 1968 batch of IAS.

There was, however, no consensus on the other names as Mr Naidu disapproved them on the ground that he was not consulted by the Government. On the other hand, he proposed his own list of 20 names but the Chief Minister did not indicate their mind on them.

Speaking to reporters later, Mr. Naidu said the Chief Minister had neither furnished the meeting's agenda nor intimated the names in advance. He was merely required to simply sit and endorse the names proposed by the Government. As no decision taken on the names suggested by him from all walks of life, he was now considering whether there would be any use in his attending such meetings in future.

Panel to meet again

Mr. Rosaiah contended that the committee could only recommend names proposed by either side and it was for the Governor to approve them. There were instances when he did not approve the names suggested by the Government for the posts of vice-chancellors.

He indicated that the committee would meet again to finalise the names of the remaining members whose strength was tentatively fixed at 10.

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